100 ways to say I Love You
by PinkRae
Summary: One-shot series with my favorite pairings for Raven. Different pairings, settings and timelines!
1. 1: Pull over, let me drive for a while

**Hello, everyone! I'm Rae and these are going to be one-shot series with my favorite pairings of Raven from DC Comics. And since there are many timelines and versions of different characters (like, cartoon verse, comic verse etc.), before each one-shot I'll note down the pairing, their setting (cartoon, comic, animated movie etc.) and a general age range so you guys don't get too confused. Well, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **1.** " _ **Pull over. Let me drive for a while."**_

 **Pairing:** Raven and Dick (Nightwing)

 **Setting:** Comics

 **Timeline:** Unknown

 **Age:** 20-25

* * *

Missions far away from home were hard. But not as hard as spending an entire day socializing with strangers, a part of which were potential terrorists. It was… nerve-wrecking and draining. Always having to be on edge and always watching your back. But it was a mission one had to do and it just happened to be Raven and Dick playing the happy couple at this whole fancy event with leaders from all of Europe.

The evening went well, with no incidents, but also with no bad guys caught. And Dick was worried about that. If they didn't attack then, there had to be some other plan behind it, which they had absolutely no idea about. He didn't like not knowing these things.

"If you squeeze that wheel any further, it's going to snap." Raven's voice broke the silence between the two of them and made him snap out of his thoughts to look in her direction. But she wasn't looking at him at all, her gaze was focused on the road ahead of them. She didn't have to look to know.

"Sorry," he sighed. "I'm just frustrated-"

"I know."

Of course she did. Sometimes he _still_ forgot that he didn't have to be superficial with her just like he was with everyone else. First of all, there was no point to that and, secondly, he trusted her with almost anything. And how could he not? They'd been teammates for what seemed like forever now, they'd been friends, _best friends_ for ages. There was nothing they didn't know about each other already.

"I'm just- We didn't get the bad guys, Rae." He admitted with another sigh, his frustration not faltering for a second. "Their attack plans were leaked and they should've been there tonight. And they _weren't_. Which means that something else is going on and we don't-"

"We don't know it now, but we'll figure it out and then we'll stop them." Her calm nature was really soothing. And the way she looked at him with that smile on her face made him feel more at ease. Dick could never be sure if that was the use of her empathetic abilities or if she _simply_ had that effect on him.

Whatever it was, it relaxed him, even if just a little. And as soon as he did that, his body realized just how tired he was from all this commotion today. Not that he wasn't used to constantly be tired and sleep-deprived. However, when he was, he usually wasn't driving a car. The road ahead of them was so boring too, it made it hard for him to stay focused and stay awake.

"Are you sure you want to drive all the way there?" Raven asked with a bit of concern in her voice. She picked up on his weariness and wondered if it was the best idea right now to let him drive in this condition.

"We need to be at the next location by morning. Kinda have to." He replied, trying not to yawn as soon as he opened his mouth, which she couldn't help but to raise her eyebrow at.

"Richard-"

"I'm fine, Raven, don't worry." Receiving half a smile from him, she wasn't all that convinced, but she decided not to press it further. That was until she glanced over at him and saw his eyes half closed already.

"Pull over." She raised her voice a little, giving it a stern tone.

"What-?" His eyes snapped open and looked over at her in hazy confusion.

"Pull over. Let me drive for a while."

"Raven-"

"Don't even start. I'm not going to let you drive us both in a ditch. You driving like this isn't safe for anyone on the road. Now, pull over and let me drive."

He had to admit that she made a good point. In this condition, he put not only them in danger, but also everybody else who was crazy enough to drive on the highway at this late hour. With a light groan, he pulled over and lazily slid into the passenger's seat while Raven got out of the car and walked around it to get by the wheel. The rest was a mystery to him because as soon as his head rested against the seat, he was out. And it was probably for the best.

 _He wouldn't have wanted to stress over Raven's driving for the rest of the way anyway_.


	2. 19: Can I hold your hand?

**19.** " _ **Can I hold your hand?"**_

 **Pairing:** Raven and Tim (Red Robin)

 **Setting:** Comics

 **Timeline:** Teen Titans Vol. 5 (2014-2016)

 **Age:** 16-18

* * *

"I understand that you wanted to do some social activities, but why didn't you just take someone like Cassie or Tanya with you?" Tim asked as the two of them were walking down the street, with a couple of shopping bags in his hand.

"I don't feel as comfortable around them as I do with you." She shrugged the question off nonchalantly, her eyes turned towards the window of a store they were passing by. Well, to be fair, she didn't feel all that comfortable around anyone. But it was easier with Tim, always had been.

"Figured." He couldn't help but grin at that before he glanced down at the shopping bags and then followed her gaze to the window. "Well, I didn't think you were all that into shopping."

"I'm not. In fact, I find it quite exhausting." Again, brushed off as soon as the last word left his mouth. "But there are some basic things that even _I_ need, Timothy."

He couldn't help but wrinkle his nose at the use of that name. It wasn't that he didn't like his own name, he was just so used to being called Tim by mostly everyone that being called Timothy just made him feel… weird. And Raven always was all about calling everyone by their full name and he wasn't an exception, even after all this time.

But… At the same time, as weird as it felt, it was also quite charming when she did that. It was something different than what all the other people in his life called him on a daily basis. Not like Raven wasn't different on its own already. She was _so_ different. _Unique_. And it just gave him something unique to share with her as well and it was… nice. And before he even realized it, his lips had curved into a smile.

His mind started wandering. Wondering. Dreaming. Which was something he didn't do very often. Or, more like, ever. But it was always like this whenever they got to spend time together. Just the two of them. Even if it was something so trivial and tedious like shopping, which, frankly, both of them hated. She made it worthwhile.

"Raven?"

"Yes?"

"Can I hold your hand?"

"I'm sorry?" Finally her blue eyes turned towards the male and her feet glued themselves to the ground, mostly because of her being caught off-guard. A rare instance.

"Can I hold your hand?" Tim repeated, a bit more slowly and with more confidence. But what followed was a dreading silence and it _almost_ made him anxious.

"This isn't a date, Timothy, I told you that." Her cold answer sent a chill down his spine.

"I know it isn't." While not completely surprising, her reaction wasn't like he had expected. Which just proved that he had still so much to learn about her. It didn't change the fact that he was slightly disappointed in her reaction.

"So then why?" The empath raised an eyebrow at him, trying to _really_ figure him out, which, more often than not, proved to be quite challenging. And his smile only puzzled the girl even more.

"Well," he shrugged. "I mean, why couldn't it be? What do you say?" His hand slowly extended towards her and her naturally pale face turned bright red. Usually quick with responses, Raven was left speechless for quite a few moments.

And because of this, Tim's nervousness started to show, more and more with each passing second. Man, going into a villain's lair full of deadly traps was _so much_ easier and less nerve-wrecking than standing here with his hand reached towards a girl. And not just any girl. It was _Raven_. Although he had to admit, this hadn't been one of his smoothest moves, it was too late to go back now. His mouth had blurted it out and now he had to face it, no matter the consequences.

"I'd say you must've hit your head a bit too hard during our last mission." Suddenly, her surprised visage had changed into the neutral look she always wore, her eyes shifting from his hand up to his own blue orbs.

"What-?" Surprisingly, he was absolutely dumbfounded. And Raven used this chance to start walking again. This girl! She was unbelievable! Her behavior simply never made sense to him.

"Wh- Raven! Wait up!" The boy skipped forwards to catch up to her, once he had regained control over his own body. Wanting to ask further, he glanced over at her and was surprised to see her smiling. Confused, he raised an eyebrow, but then noticed with the corner of his eye that she had opened the palm of her hand to him so that he could take her hand into his. He chuckled to himself.

 _This girl indeed. Forever a mystery._


	3. 59: Wow

**59.** " _ **Wow."**_

 **Pairing:** Raven and Damian

 **Setting:** DC animated movies

 **Timeline:** Unknown

 **Age:** 16-18

* * *

"Raven, are you ready yet?" The impatient boy kept knocking on her door. "We need to get going already or we'll be late."

"Define ready…" Raven muttered under her nose and sighed, looking at herself in the mirror. Her hair was pulled together in an elegant updo, a bit of makeup on her face to accent her eyes and lips, nice heel shoes, some jewelry… But the worst of all was the dress. A long sheath dress with, in her opinion, the biggest split on the right side. At least the top of it reached around her neck, leaving the shoulders bare, so she didn't have to worry about her boobs falling out like with the other dress Kori had picked out for her.

It was a nuisance, really. Mission or no mission, she just felt uncomfortable. It didn't even come _close_ to anything she'd ever worn or would ever wear in her life. Which was why she was so against being Damian's escort for this whole thing. But the team all agreed that, since they had no known names and no faces, her empathetic abilities were perfect for pinpointing the people who'd have malevolent intents. Combine that with Damian's great observance skills and they might just get away with no casualties tonight. Though somehow, it didn't make things easier at all.

Another knock on the door made her jump. "Raven, come on!" They really did have to go… A deep sigh and one last look in the mirror.

"Okay. All good." She nodded and headed to the door, pressing the button to open it.

"Final-!" Damian was about to exclaim at the girl, but he choked on his own words when she stepped out into the light. At first he had wanted to scold her for taking forever to get ready, but then a million other thoughts started running through his mind and he wasn't sure how to express them out loud and if he even should do that. Her face, her dress, her overall look, how her eyes seemed bluer than usual and so much more. He was hit with so much at the same time that he was rendered speechless for the longest time and his mouth opened only to let out an involuntary:

" _Wow…_ "

His initial silence made her even more nervous than she was already. The way he just stood there… and stared with his eyes opened wider than she had ever seen before. She couldn't quite place if his reaction was good or bad because his emotions were going all over the place.

"Wow good or wow bad?" Raven wasn't even sure why she'd think that it was a bad reaction, but she'd learned that one could expect absolutely anything from this guy. For all she knew, it might've been a ' _Wow, I can't believe I'm gonna have to spend the entire evening with her_ '. Besides, she needed to break the awkward silence between them somehow, which thankfully worked seeing that Damian quickly composed himself again.

"Don't be ridiculous, of course it was a good wow." He replied nonchalantly and nodded towards the elevator. "Others are waiting downstairs already." With that, he walked over to the elevator and she followed him in silence. Though a small smile had sneaked onto her face.

Upon getting outside the tower, the rest of the team were already waiting for them, with Gar and Jaime messing around the limo and the girls just going through the details of the mission. Seeing the two come out, Kori gasped in amazement.

"My, don't you two look dashing!" She said with the brightest smile, earning a simple shrug from Damian. For him attending such events was no big deal. For Raven, however… "Alright, you have your comms?" They both nodded. "Good. Always be in touch. If anything happens, contact us immediately. We'll be close by at all times. Don't take unnecessary risks, remember, a lot of innocent people are going to be there. We don't want to put them in any danger. So don't do anything stupid." At the last words, her gaze turned to Damian, giving him a stern look.

"What? I got it."

"Don't worry, Kori, I'll keep an eye on him." Raven reassured the team leader, though the boy in question merely scoffed at that.

"Okay, you two," Kori sighed and beckoned for them to go to the limo, "be careful." They both nodded once again and headed to the limo where Jaime had already opened the door for them.

"Ladies first." He gave Raven a big smile and bowed in the most exaggerated manner.

"Quit the nonsense, Reyes." Damian frowned at the other, while Raven simply got inside the car. "Are you sure you can even drive a limousine?"

"Hey, I can drive _anything_!" He proclaimed proudly, but Damian was of course still skeptical. Either way, he didn't want to waste any more time with this, so he just got in the car next to Raven.

The door closed and they were off to the event. The ride there was mostly silent, with Raven trying to keep her calm. But all she could think about was how ill-suited she was for something like this. They should've let Donna go with Damian. She at least had the confidence for social events. Not to mention her looks and personality in general. The dress would've looked perfect on her. But instead it was pulled on this awkward hermit of a person.

 _Sigh._

"Nervous?" The silence was interrupted by Damian's observation. Did he _really_ have to have this conversation.

"A little." She tried to be as evasive as possible.

"Why? This isn't your first undercover mission."

"First time going to such a fancy event with so many influential and important people though."

"Full of dangerous people, don't forget."

"Wow, you really know how to comfort a person and make them feel all better." She deadpanned.

"I'm merely stating a fact." He shrugged and looked out the window. "Besides, I don't see why you would be nervous."

"Well, first of all-" She sighed because she didn't think there was a whole lot of point explaining it all to him. It would only make her sound whiny and he wouldn't understand her anyway. "You know what, forget it. It's nothing."

Damian noticed the shift in her tone and glanced over at her with the corner of his eyes. It was obvious that she was tense. She didn't look like she was comfortable at all. At this rate, she would be no good for the mission. He understood that she needed her mind clear for her to be able to focus.

"Why? Is it because you're not used to this kind of attire?" At that, she shot her eyes at him as if caught red-handed. "It suits you." His eyes involuntarily slid down to her exposed leg, which she franticly tried to cover up to the best of her ability.

"No need for mockery, Damian." Somehow it only made her feel even more uncomfortable.

"I'm not mocking. I'm actually being quite sincere, Raven." He quickly declared, his features softening a little. "Just because you're not used to it, doesn't mean you look bad in it. In fact, I find it rather… attractive." Almost choking on the last word, he could feel his face burn up. And so did Raven's.

"Well- I suppose Damian Wayne the Great's escort should be nothing less than that."

"Now who's mocking?" They both let out a chuckle.

"Thank you."

"Hm?"

"For making me feel a bit better. Your first attempt at making a sincere compliment wasn't so bad." She smiled at him, but was met by his characteristic " _Tt_ " and a red face that he hastily tried to hide by turning it towards the window once more.

 _Maybe this evening wasn't going to be so bad, after all._


	4. 79: I'll still be here when you're ready

**79.** " _ **I'll still be here when you're ready."**_

 **Pairing:** Raven and Wally (Kid Flash/The Flash)

 **Setting:** Comics / College AU

 **Age:** 19-21

* * *

"So you've really decided?" The question filled the silent room and Raven's eyes shot away from her closet and towards the door, finding a certain redhead standing in the doorway. But a response didn't come right away, like she was trying to delay the inevitable. Or maybe it was simply the fact that by saying it out loud would mean that it was really happening and she'd need to come to terms with it.

"No." She answered nonchalantly, all the while still neatly putting her clothes in the suitcase placed on her bed.

"But you're already packing." Wally let out an incredulous chuckle and stepped into the room, but didn't dare to invade her personal space just yet.

"I know." Avoiding any eye contact with him seemed like the best option for her right now. She didn't want to make it harder than it already was.

"Rae…" He sighed and watched the girl move around the room in such a calm manner that it was almost chilling, even for her.

The silence fell between them once again, as neither of them could really bring themselves to carry this conversation forward. Even if both of them understood very well that they had to, one way or another.

"Listen, I-"

"Wallace-"

Both of them speaking up at the same time just made them stop their sentences abruptly. Well, now this was just getting awkward. Not wanting this to turn into another staredown, Wally nodded for her to continue.

"If you were in my position, wouldn't you go?"

"In your position as being at the top of the class in every subject, acing all the tests, never missing a class, probably breaking some academic records?" He was about to ramble on further, but flinched the very second her glare pierced through his entire being and decided to answer seriously. "Yeah, sure. I guess. I mean, it's a British college you're getting transferred to, it has to be super good, right?"

"One of the best." She corrected him, but she had already proved her point. "It's an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Wallace. I'd be stupid not to take it."

"You could never be stupid." He scowled at her and she deadpanned right at him.

 _Right. Not the time_.

"Raven, look. I mean, okay, I get it. It's important, it's a big step, a great opportunity. But- I just-..." Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair, not entirely sure how to finish that thought.

"But what?" Having stopped with the packing for the moment, her full focus was now finally on him. He held the silence for a second longer, staring at the carpet underneath his feet before he slowly raised his eyes up again.

"I just thought you'd give _us_ a chance, too." The boy finally admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Wallace…" She whispered in a sigh, closing the suitcase and pushing it aside to have some room for her to sit down.

"I know, I know." He quickly started before she managed to say anything more and went over to sit next to her. "It's probably not the best timing for this, but-"

"It's really not."

"-But don't you think we _should_ talk about what's gonna happen now? With us?" His green eyes looked almost pleadingly at her, while she only averted her gaze.

"There's nothing that _can_ happen, Wallace. We'll be across the ocean from each other. And we're students. We don't have the money to go visit each other all the time."

"Yeah, but it's not like you're falling off the face of the Earth, Rae. There's still ways to communicate, to hear each other, to see each other. We can make this work." He desperately tried to reason with her.

"We couldn't make this work while living in the same dorm, what makes you think we can do it while living in different _continents_?"

"I wouldn't say it didn't work _at all_." The readhead gave her a slightly cocky smile, but was quickly shut down by her stare. Guess she was right. It had always been rocky with them. But he wasn't about to give up anyway.

"Okay, I get it. Our… relationship hasn't been the smoothest ride and this whole thing is new and scary and you're not prepared for any of this, I completely understand that. But, Rae," he gently placed his hand on top of hers and tilted his head to meet her gaze, "I'll still be here when you're ready."

For a moment, it almost seemed like the cold color of her eyes had warmed up after these words and it filled his heart with a small fraction of what one could call joy. And his lips curled into a smile.

"I'll be right here." Wally repeated with more confidence in his voice. "Waiting for you. As long as you'll have me."

A part of him wanted her to confirm that she'd come back to him. That they'd be in each other's life no matter what. But he knew that it'd be too much to ask right now. She had so much to go through as it was. So he merely offered her a gentle smile and a tended squeeze of her hand before he stood up from the bed, only to be stopped midway.

Looking down, he saw her delicate hand clutching onto his own as she got up on her feet as well. He watched her in silence, with a questioning, yet hopeful look on his face. Still, after a moment of gazing into each other, she made no sound. Failing to speak up, the raven-haired girl simply pressed her forehead against his chest and sighed in defeat, letting her shoulders drop.

She didn't need to say anything for him to know. This was all the confirmation he needed. And his heart skipped a beat at the thought. Wally reached his hands up to cup her face, entangling his fingers in her long hair while his thumbs gently grazed along the sides of her cheeks.

"No matter how long it takes, Rae. Remember that." He whispered softly and placed a tender kiss on top of her head before resting his forehead on the very same spot. Not bearing the thought of ending this on a sad note, though, he then pulled away from her and gave her the biggest smile he could muster right now.

"Alright, come on, let's not be sad! The college is a great opportunity and you deserve _only_ the greatest things in life. And you'll do awesomely there, I know it!" He patted her shoulders and slowly backed away. "Just make sure you don't forget about lil' ol' me." Lifting his hands, he made a finger gun gesture with a laugh, despite him feeling like his heart was about to burst out of his chest and bleed out on the floor right then and there. But that wasn't an option. She deserved a happy ending to all of this.

And seeing her smile at his stupid goofy self was all the remedy he needed. What's more, she even let out a small chuckle and nodded at him, even though he could see some tears glimmering from the corners of her eyes. It was a bittersweet goodbye. Just like everything else in their life. Always bittersweet.

 _But he wouldn't change a thing_.


	5. 27: Try some

**27.** " _ **Try some."**_

 **Pairing:** Raven and Dick (Robin)

 **Setting:** Teen Titans (2003-2006 show)

 **Age:** 15-17

* * *

"I have a feeling you watched a dozen romantic movies before this." The violet-haired teen noted, more to herself, as she took in her surroundings.

A nice, quiet part of the park where people didn't really hang out that much. Nearby a lake with people swimming in the distance. A checkered blanket laid out under a tree to provide shade from the bright sun. A picnic basket, probably filled with sandwiches, heart-shaped chocolate and champagne or something. All the cliché things. _Predictable_. And somewhat disappointing if she had to be honest.

Well, she couldn't say she had expected something grand or completely new and not done before. In fact, she had little to no expectations at all when Robin just kind of declared that he was taking her out even though many possible scenarios did play out in her mind (quite literally). Granted, Raven was still new to this whole "dating" thing, they both were, so the first steps were bound to be a little rocky and awkward.

"Nah." He simply shrugged with a sly smile on his face as he placed the picnic basket on the ground and sat down next to the girl. "I'd say it was only like five or six at most. Among a few searches of 'Ideas for a perfect first date'."

"And this is the best they had to offer?" Raven scoffed, but instantly realized that it might have come off like his date idea was a bad one. "I mean- I didn't mean to make it sound like I don't like it. I just- I suppose I thought you'd go a bit overboard trying to create the ' _perfect date_ '."

"Am I really that much of an overachiever?" Robin chuckled and glanced at her through his dark sunglasses, raising an eyebrow. Her face said it all. "Okay, it's not _that_ bad." But Raven grimaced at him again and he had no other choice but to comply. "Fine. Fair enough."

His gaze remained on her for a moment longer before he hummed and turned to the picnic basket to start unpacking it, still a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What?" She raised an eyebrow at him, as she watched him take out some packed sandwiches, two cups and a thermos.

"Well," he shrugged, "it might have not been on the top of the list for the best first date, but I figured I'd just do something simple. Let's face it, we do the most unbelievable things like every Tuesday. Our lives are not ordinary. Not a single day is like the last one, there's always something new and unknown going on. And well, we never really have the time to just sit down, relax and enjoy the things that other people do. So then- So what if it's cliché? Have you ever done any of this before?" The teenage boy asked her, but didn't exactly wait for a response because he knew it already.

"See, neither have I. So I don't think it's bad for us to do something that others might have experienced millions of times. We haven't. That alone makes it special." His lips had curved into a smile as he talked, his hands working on opening the thermos and pouring hot liquid into the cup. "Here. Made your favorite tea."

"You don't even know what my favorite tea is-"

"Chamomile, right?" Her eyes widened in surprise. Guess she underestimated him twice today already. Smiling, she took the cup from him and tasted it. "It was my first time making it though, so I don't know if it even tastes alright." He quickly added with a nervous chuckle.

"It's good. Don't worry." The confirmation that he didn't _completely_ screw it up made his face light up in joy and he reached into the basket once again, retrieving two plastic containers.

"Strawberries? And whipped cream? Really?" She chuckled almost in disbelief.

"What? Don't tell me you don't like strawberries with whipped cream."

"I- I've honestly never dared to try that…" Now it was Robin's turn to look at her in utter disbelief.

"Well, we've gotta change that then." He quickly grabbed a strawberry, dipped it in the whipped cream and reached it towards her mouth, making her flinch back a little. "Here. Try some."

"If you smear my nose with that, Richard, I swear-"

"I won't, I won't." He laughed. "Just try it. The whipped cream is homemade, not that cheap fake stuff you can buy at a store. It's really good, trust me."

Giving out a small grumble of uncertainty, the girl leaned closer to his hand and took a bite as he watched closely for her reaction. And he could swear that her eyes lit up for a split second. Although she didn't show all that much emotion in her face, her eyes always gave it away.

"It's… actually _really_ good." She slowly concluded in amazement, reaching her fingers up to her lips to clean off some leftover cream.

"See? I told you." He smiled brightly at her and ate the other half of the strawberry, looking out towards the lake when he heard some screams and splashes. Looked like people were having fun over there. Otherwise it was so peaceful and quiet here and both of them took a moment to appreciate the silence before Raven's voice broke it.

"You know," she tilted her head a little to the side, having propped herself on one hand, "cliché is not bad."

"Thought you might agree." He smiled at her and placed his own hand over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

 _The most beautiful things in life were indeed the simplest ones sometimes._


	6. 2: It reminded me of you

**2.** " _ **It reminded me of you."**_

 **Pairing:** Raven and Jason (Red Hood)

 **Setting:** Comics / Idk, some AU probably

 **Age:** 20-25

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Raven broke the silence that had fallen when she walked in and saw a figure standing amongst the shadows of her room. But for the longest time there was no answer, the silence between them thickening with each passing moment.

Her blue eyes stared at the figure intently. Only part of his face was lit by the street lights coming through the blinds of the open window and she could tell that he wasn't even looking at her, but rather out the window. A sigh escaped her lips and she turned back to reach for the light switch.

"Don't." His voice suddenly echoed through the room, sending a chill down her spine and making her stop in her tracks in an instant with a soft gasp. She looked back at him again and saw that his gaze was turned to her now as well. Suddenly, her breath got stuck in her throat and her heart was beating just loud enough for her to hear it in her ears. In this intense silence it almost seemed like the loudest sound in the world.

"Why?" She managed to muster a whisper, all the while trying not to make it come out too shaky.

' _Because I don't want to see your face_ ' was the first thing to come to his mind. And it wouldn't be too far from the truth. In reality though, he was afraid that if he got to see her in all her glory, he wouldn't be able to leave again. Just like he always did. But he couldn't tell her that. So he decided to go for a more… light-hearted tone.

"I don't know, guess I like the mystery." The smirk on his face was very evident in his voice, even if she couldn't see it in the dark. The response didn't really please her, however, and her brows formed into a frown, which, again, was left unseen.

"You know you can lie with your words, but-"

"I know, I know. No need to remind me."

"So what are you _really_ doing here?" The empath took a step closer to him, clutching her night robe tighter around herself.

"I came to see you." Jason's response was blunt as he just shrugged it away.

"In the dark?"

"Hey, what can I say? I'm kinky like that." He chuckled and inched himself towards her as well. And even in this darkness he could see her blue eyes as clear as the day, looking at him with so much confusion, so much sadness and anger, and yet- there was also hope amongst all that.

Despite him trying to keep the mood light and make himself seem so carefree, he couldn't deny the pain in his chest that he felt in the moment he gazed into her eyes. They had seen hurt and pain too many times…

"Jason-"

"I brought you something." The male quickly interrupted before she could say anything further. Because if they allowed themselves to let free of everything that was dwelling inside of them, it would get ugly. And it was the last thing either of them wanted. Surely, this sudden proclamation took her by surprise. Unsure how to react at first, she then let out an incredulous laugh.

"Why?" There was almost a hint of anger in her voice. But he tried not to mind it as he fished a small box out of his pocket and glanced down at it for a moment, trying to come up with a reason. There was none, really.

"It reminded me of you." With this simple response, a shrug rolled down his shoulders and he extended the box to her. But she was too frozen in her spot to take notice of it and a part of him was afraid that she wouldn't even accept it.

So he slowly reached down to her hand to lift it up and gently place the box in her palm, which finally made her break eye contact and actually glance down. None of this made sense to her. She didn't want to accept the fact that he was there _only_ to give her some present that he probably didn't even get in an earnest way. That even after all this time he _still_ didn't want to talk and sort things out. And yet he always found his way to her, over and over again, with every goodbye being harder than the last one.

Jason knew all this well. Staying any longer would make it harder for the both of them, so his hand slipped away from hers, while she was seemingly still deep into thought. But feeling his warmth leaving her, she squeezed the little box tight in her hand and quickly grabbed his hand with the other. And he knew exactly what that meant.

"Raven-"

"Stay." She pleaded in a whisper and her eyes looked at him so intensely they pierced through his entire being. His heart dropped and his body became weak.

"Pretty Bird," letting out the softest of sighs, he turned fully to her and gently released his hand from her grip to graze his fingers against her jawline, "you know I can't…" His voice barely above a whisper, Jason pressed his forehead against hers.

Their eyes closed and the world seemed to have stopped just for that moment. Everything else faded away in the background. It was just the two of them, right then and there. Nothing else existed. Just the warm breath against his skin, just his warm touch against hers. If she could, she would pray to all the gods for this moment to last forever. But they both knew it wasn't bound to happen. Not this time.

"If only things weren't so fucked up." He sighed and lightly nuzzled his nose against hers before he had to force himself to pull away and quickly leave through the window he had come in. If he didn't do it fast, he wouldn't be able to do it at all.

And surely, Raven opened her eyes and there was no sight of him anymore. Letting out a shaky sigh, she approached the window and looked outside, a faint hope sparking in her that she might still see a glimpse of him. But, of course, she didn't.

So then her gaze turned down to the box in her hand. Opening it, tears filled her eyes almost in an instant. Out of all the things he could've gotten, he brought her a necklace with a golden wing and a red jewel pendant. Now this was going to be a constant reminder for her of him.

 _A constant reminded of everything they were and everything they could have been._


	7. 58: You don't have to say anything

**58.** " _ **You don't have to say anything."**_

 **Pairing:** Raven and Wally (Kid Flash/The Flash)

 **Setting:** Comics / College AU

 **Age:** 25-28

 **This is a continuation of "79.** _ **I'll still be here when you're ready**_ " **.**

* * *

"Just make sure you don't forget about lil' ol' me." He had let out a laugh and finger-gunned her as he backed out of the room. Her beautiful smile between the glimmering tears in the corners of her eyes was the last thing he saw, her cute little laugh still echoed in his head. But the immense pain in his chest still lingered, too.

He remembered everything, like it had happened yesterday, how he broke down on the floor as soon as he had reached his own dorm room, not really wanting to risk her finding him like that in the hallway. It had been the longest walk he'd ever had to take in his life, acting like his entire being hadn't just been completely shattered into millions of pieces.

 _It was the best for her_ , he always told himself. _She'd worked so hard, she deserved this opportunity._ And yet, it never truly lessened the pain. They say that time heals all wounds. _Bullshit_. When your heart gets ripped out of your chest like that, it may get put back into place, but it's never the same as it was before and the scars remain there as a constant reminder.

In the beginning just hearing her voice on the other end of the line, seeing her face on the other side of the screen seemed like it was enough. Enough to calm his aching heart and just put a smile on his face. But eventually the inevitable happened. The calls got rarer, the conversations became shorter, they grew further away from each other. These were the things he'd been most afraid of. Yet, he expected it. Although it didn't make it any easier.

Before he even realized, they lived their own lives. Everything was so different. It felt different. Even between the occasional happy birthdays and remember whens. His heart skipped every time he took his phone and saw her name in his notifications. And all he could ever do was to wonder if her heart skipped the same way… But he never asked. How could he? Everything in her life seemed so perfect, even without him. How could he ruin that? Some days he felt like a coward because of that. No. Most days. Every day. Because he _was_ a coward.

But there were good days too. When he convinced himself that he just had to have a little bit more faith, both in himself and her. That silent promise they made back then wasn't for nothing. It _meant_ something. And he meant what he said - he'd be there for when she was ready. He was willing to wait for her for the rest of his life as long as there was even the slightest bit of hope for them. All he needed was just patience.

Those were the good days. The days when he could bring himself to be optimistic. Not that he ever lost that trait in front of his friends. For them, he was still the good ol' Wally, the life of the party and the forever smiling redhead. But most of them weren't that good… Especially when he was left on his own, at nights when the darkness crept not only into his room, but his heart and mind as well.

And so the days went by.

One by one.

Agonizingly slowly.

" _Oh my god, what are you doing here?_ "

It was Wally's birthday and, of course, Dick had to throw a big party for him. So many people arrived, even those who he went to college with. They'd graduated only last year, but it seemed like it'd been ages.

" _I didn't know you were in town, it's great to see you!_ "

It was nice catching up with some of the people he hadn't seen since graduation. A bright smile was on his face, like always, and he truly was happy to see everyone, but somehow his mind kept wandering off to other places…

" _Is that really you? Wow, it's been so long!_ "

Not like he'd ever had the greatest attention span anyway. But it was especially on occasions like this when he was surrounded by so many people that he felt the ache in his chest the most.

" _You're here! Come on, let's go find Wally!_ "

His eyes couldn't help but wander around the room in a naive hope that he'll see those familiar eyes, the dark hair, the enticing smile. However, even then, he did it so mindlessly that he hadn't fully registered the commotion taking place just on the other end of the room. Everyone had flocked around someone who'd just arrived and, well, he just presumed it was yet another of his college friends. Many of these people hadn't seen one another in a while after all, so he didn't exactly pay much attention to it. That was until the crowd scattered and Dick emerged with someone by his side.

A petite form in a black dress. Delicate fingers clenching onto a single rose. Piercing blue eyes focused solely on said rose as if afraid of what they might see if they looked up. Black raven hair barely reaching down to the jawline. Lips pressed tightly together in anticipation. Everything about this sight was just nerve-wracking.

With each step they took, Wally's heart started beating faster. Or slower, he couldn't tell because eventually it was beating either so fast or so slow that he felt like it just stopped. Maybe it did stop. Again, he couldn't tell. For all he knew, he might have lost consciousness at one point because he got himself together (barely) when the two were already standing right in front of him. The blue eyes suddenly shifting up towards him made him finally snap out of it.

"Rae- Raven, hey- Hi. Um… It's uh… great to see you. Um- Thank you for coming." The poor boy tried his best to muster complete sentences together, laughing nervously. "How did you know-?"

"Richard invited me." Raven answered right away and motioned towards the man in question, who was already leaving the scene with a "you're welcome" smile plastered on his face. Calm. Straightforward. Not even the smallest hiccup in her voice. He wouldn't expect any less of her.

"O-oh." He looked towards Dick and shook his head. But not because of disapproval. It was more of disbelief that he'd _actually_ gotten her to come. "So," the green eyes turned back to her once more, "you came all the way down here just for my birthday?" He couldn't help but let out another nervous chuckle.

"No." She smiled and held a small pause before continuing. "It's not your birthday I came here for."

But it only confused him more. A part of him already went through all the bad scenarios that might have happened that brought her here - a death in the family, her house in England burning down, a family member falling ill and having no one else to care for them and so on. He wanted to inquire, but the girl had extended the rose towards him and his train of thoughts shifted completely.

"Oh, let's go find a vase for that." After realizing that neither Dick nor Alfred were anywhere in sight, they were on their way to the kitchen to hopefully find something on their own, followed by a number of curious eyes that they somehow paid absolutely no attention to.

"So," Wally started again as they walked, wanting to ask why she was here then, but decided to avoid that question for now and instead go for something lighthearted, "you've cut your hair."

"Helps me keep it out of the way." She nodded and smiled lightly. "And maintaining is easier."

"Yeah, I bet it is." They both chuckled and a silence broke between them for a moment. It was almost awkward. And Wally wanted this to be anything _but_ awkward.

"It looks good." He finally spoke up with a brighter, much more confident smile. And received a smile in return.

"Thank you."

But the return of the silence was inevitable. So many things were unsaid between them, so many moments in their life they wanted to share, so many apologies that it was all too overwhelming and resulted in complete inability to speak. The tension was there, neither of them could deny it even if they wanted to.

Eventually, he gathered to courage to say something when they were already in the kitchen and he was searching for a vase in the cupboards.

"Rae, do you mind if I ask?" He looked over to her who gave him a nod of approval and he took a deep breath before asking. "Why _did_ you come back? Are you- Is it just temporary or…?"

"It's-" She bit her lip, trying to put her thoughts into words. "No. It's not temporary." At those words Wally's heart skipped a beat.

"Really?" He looked back at her in surprise.

"Yes." She nodded. "I had a good job and a nice house back in England, going to work every day felt like I made a difference in the world and everyone was just so nice there, but- I… I miss home. Everything I know and love is here and I- I just miss it." Raven shrugged, fighting back a tear forming in her eyes.

"And, well," she continued, gazing down at the rose still in her hand, "I miss _you_. And coming here… I didn't know if you ever-"

"I missed you every day of my life, Rae." Wally quickly intervened and stepped closer to her. He wanted her to have absolutely no doubts about the fact that he had her in his thoughts day in and day out. And with that, she looked at him with the saddest eyes he'd ever seen from her.

"I'm sorry." She barely managed to breath out.

"For what?" He laughed softly and reached to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye.

"For leaving. For not visiting often enough. For not keeping in touch. For- I don't know. There's so much I have to apologize to you for, Wallace." Raven desperately tried to explain, but he only smiled at her.

"You don't have to apologize for any of that. How could I ever hold it against you for wanting a better life, a better future for yourself? I already told you - you deserve only the best." He gave her a reassuring smile, but it didn't seem to convince her enough.

"But I've caused so much pain. I have so much to explain-"

"No no no. Raven. No." He stopped her and took the rose from her hand to put it on the counter so he could hold her hands. "You don't have to say anything."

"But-"

"Just tell me you're ready. To start it all over again. To have a new beginning. A new, a better ending." Wally held her hands tight and pressed them against his chest, waiting patiently for her answer as they gazed into each other's eyes. The moment of silence seemed to drag on forever. The anticipation was driving him crazy. What if she said no? What if she still didn't believe it could work out between them? But what if she did? What would his plan _then_ be? Oh, so many questions running through his mind.

"Master West." A male voice suddenly broke the silence between them and both of them jolted apart from each other. "May I help you with anything?" They both looked over to see Alfred standing in the door with a tray of empty glasses.

"Ah. Alfred." Wally breathed in trying to calm his beating heart. "Yeah, um… We were just… Ah, trying to find a vase for the rose." He explained and gestured towards the flower, which Raven took in her hand and extended towards the butler as proof.

"I see. Well, let me take care of that for you." There might have been the tiniest of smiles on his face as he walked further and took the flower. "Miss Roth. Very nice to see you again."

"Thank you, Alfred. It's great to see you too." Raven smiled at the man before being taken by the hand by Wally who lead her out of the kitchen. Once they were out, they both giggled like school kids who'd been caught making out by a teacher.

After their little laughing fit, however, she still kept holding onto his hand despite him loosening the grip to let her go, earning a look of surprise from the other as he raised his eyebrow at her.

"I'm ready." She finally said with a smile and he could instantly feel his heart burst out of joy. He could barely hold it in at this point, so he just laughed out in happiness and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up in the air and twirling around for a second or two.

"I'm so happy!" Wally laughed out and finally put her on the ground. "Thank you."

"No, thank _you_. For waiting on me all these years." She spoke softly and rested her hands on his shoulders. A moment of silence fell between them once again, but this time it was filled with joy and love. _So much love_. So he used this chance to lean down to her and gently press his lips against her.

"Wally!" Of course someone had to interrupt. Dick's voice echoed through the hallway as he stood at the other end of it, having finally found the redhead. "The cake's ready to-"

But Wally didn't even look at him, just gave him the good ol' talk-to-the-hand treatment and continued from where he left off.

"No one's gonna ruin _this_ moment." They both chuckled as their arms wrapped around each other and lips locked in a long overdue kiss with so much passion that Dick even got embarrassed just standing there.

 _Sometimes there are more important things in life than cake._


End file.
